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Carl Hester believes Charlotte Dujardin deserves a second chance from the British public as she battles to save her career.
Hester, 57, gave Dujardin a job at his yard in 2007 and has been her key mentor on a journey which led to six Olympic medals.
Her chances of adding to that tally at Paris 2024 – and becoming Britain’s most decorated female Olympian – were dashed when a video was released of her whipping a horse in training, leading to the 39-year-old’s withdrawal on the eve of the Games.
Hester condemned her actions in the clip, and even signed a letter to that effect, but insists the incident was out of character.
“The video was a huge shock to me, I didn’t know it was there and it’s not from my property,” said the 57-year-old. “That video is fairly obvious and no one will support that. You can’t. But over 17 years of knowing Charlotte, I have not seen that. That is not her.
“I haven’t seen her. I know things are very difficult. But she is surrounded by people trying to help her. She accepts what she did and I’m glad she’s done that. This is four years ago, people do make mistakes.
“What do we do, never forgive people? It’s going to be a long road and a lesson for everybody in the horse world. We have to put the horses first and showcase them.”
Hester is appearing at his seventh Olympics, equalling Nick Skelton’s British record, but has seen his build-up overshadowed by the scandal which has embroiled the sport.
The veteran is seen as the grandfather of dressage but its future on the Olympic programme has been thrown into question amid the furore.
“In the UK, you don’t see that sort of video, I’ve never seen it,” he said. “We are all in shock. We are making an effort to show how much we love our horses and how we train them. If this is out there, we know it has to change.
“I have an open yard at home where everyone is welcome to visit our daily training. I have pride in the fact that our yard shows horse welfare to be at its highest. We have to show the positives of our sport.”
The three-time Olympic medallist tried to shut out the noise on Tuesday as he took to the Versailles stage on board Fame, who he describes as ‘like a pet’.
Hester looks well placed to qualify for the individual final on Sunday and hopes to bid for a fourth successive team medal earlier in the weekend alongside Lottie Fry and Becky Moody, the eleventh-hour replacement for Dujardin.
“It has been a difficult time,” he said. “I went down the centre line, relaxed and started to enjoy the ride. I thought ‘I’ve got to think about the team now, that’s what I’m here for’.
“Becky has been thrown into this, her first team and it’s an Olympic team. She will really need our support around her, which she has.
“Lottie is a great fighter for the team and has one of the best horses in the competition. We are certainly in there fighting.”
Watch every moment of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live only on discovery+, the streaming home of the Olympics.
